Page 62 of I've Got You

He winked and turned, heading to the front door while I tore away to dress and prepare to confront my father.

I vibrated with tension as Davis drove us back to my place. I hated that Jenna had dealt with him by herself. Dad was a stubborn, manipulative bastard, but to go this far and intercept the divorce papers took his interference to a whole new level. There was not a chance I’d let him hurt Jenna any more than she already had been—or the boys, for that matter.

When we pulled up, Davis placed a firm hand on my forearm. “You need to be calm and strong for Jenna.”

I nodded, undid my belt, and made for the door handle, but he didn’t release his grip. With a quick glance at him, I dipped my brow in question.

“How do you want to play this?” No doubt reading the confusion still creasing my brow, he clarified, “Me, us.”

My heart settled rather than sped up. So concerned with my needs, he was willing to do whatever I asked. I turned fully toward him, and after a smiling glance at Libby strapped safely in her chair, I pressed my lips to his. “We do this together. It’s going to be a shitshow, but I need you with me.” My gaze turned wary. “I’m just worried about Libby.”

He nodded his understanding and pulled out his cell. His eyes remained locked to mine as he spoke, “Hey, can you come and collect Libby? … I’m at Scott’s. His dad’s shown up.” He seemed to listen a moment before he ended the call. “You lead and I’ll follow.”

I closed my eyes and pressed my head against his, allowing myself five seconds to inhale his scent and absorb his strength. “Okay.” We got out of the car and unstrapped Libby. Just as we made toward my house, Tanner and Carter showed up, and my chest constricted. They’d both arrived; even Tanner, who regularly called me a dickwad, was here to support me.

Carter took Libby from Davis. “I’ve got her. Do you want me to take her home or…?”

“Home would be great, please.” Davis pressed a small kiss to his daughter’s head.

“On it.” Carter leaned over and kissed Tanner, who seemed set to stay.

“I’ll just hover.” Tanner grinned at me.

I laughed, an impressive feat considering the nerves pulsing through me. “My dad may be a fifty-nine-year-old bully, but his bark is worse—”

“Thanks,” Davis interrupted, and stared me down. I knew that look. I also knew he was thinking about the time I’d spent in the hospital at the hands of the man I called Father. It was one of the moments I’d admitted to him over the weeks.

I nodded and released a breath. “I need to get in there and get him away from Jenna.” I reached out my hand, and Davis immediately took it and gave me a small squeeze. “Actually, Tanner?” He looked over at me. “Can you come in and collect the boys and take them to your place too, please?”

He bobbed his head. “Of course. Whatever you need.” He smiled, quite possibly the first genuine one he’d sent my way. I would have commented on it if it wasn’t for my shaky legs as I headed toward my house.

Once inside, I called out, “Hey, Jenna, where are the boys?”

“We’re here,” Hunter called out, and two pairs of racing footsteps quickly followed. Just as the boys appeared, Jenna stepped into the hallway. She was pale, shaken, and most definitely relieved when she saw the three of us. There was also determination brewing in her eyes. I grinned when I spotted it.

“Tanner’s going to take the boys.”

She closed her eyes briefly and sighed a loud exhale. “That would be great, thank you.”

“Come on, Trouble One and Trouble Two. Let’s go and pay Rex a visit.” Tanner held out both hands for the boys to take. They rushed over to him cheering, only seeming to remember a second later to race back to Jenna and hug her legs before they were off again shouting goodbye.

“You okay?” I asked.

“I will be. Thanks for getting back so quickly.”

“What happened? How’d he get the papers?”

“Stan happened.” Her cheeks heated with anger. Good, I was glad she was pissed off. “He went bitching to Dad, and now apparently he’s here to talk sense into me and take me and the boys back home.” An impressive snarl lifted her lips, making her look fierce.

“Shall we just get this over with?” I wanted him out of my house, out of town, and as far away from all of us as possible.

She nodded and then glanced at my and Davis’s hands. A smirk broke her frown. “Is it bad that I’m kind of hoping for a heart attack? Just a mild one, of course.”

A laugh burst free, easing the tension a little more. “It should be interesting, that’s for sure.” I exhaled and tightened my grip. “Let’s go.”

I wished to God I had home surveillance, the internal kind with mics and high res recording capabilities. If I had, I was sure to have hit Repeat on the moment my father’s eyes bulged and his face turned ashen before then becoming the brightest red I’d ever seen on a human being. To top it off, he was legitimately lost for words for at least twenty seconds. Twenty seconds was a crazy long time in the standoff taking place in my kitchen, but it was twenty seconds I would have gladly watched over and over again. When his brain finally caught up with his eyes, his explosion was pretty damn remarkable. Even more so was the fact that as he reeled off abuse in my direction, all I wanted to do was laugh. I was sure Davis knew as he gripped my hand even tighter, probably in warning that laughing in the old man's face was quite possibly a step too far and would likely induce cardiac arrest.

So I let him shout, let the spittle fly forth, let his dyed-black brows practically touch and almost fly off his face when he lifted them so high. Approximately ten minutes into his tirade, he realized I hadn’t spoken, wasn’t defending myself. It was then he turned on Jenna.

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